Tablets in the DR: order your own food

[AlohaPride]

Right you are! Bluetooth has a max range of about 30 feet. That's why it's used for things like your wireless head set.

 

On the other hand Wifi which is 802.11b/g/n would be used to direct your tablet to an on board server which would then send the request to the kitchen.

The ship is already outfitted with many Wifi antenna, and those would be used to receive the signal from the tablets. It would be known as an intra-net, not the internet. Most of the required system is already in place.

 

That's why I said, "Something LIKE Bluetooth." I.e. wireless data transfer sans internet connection by the use of radio waves. Admittedly, Bluetooth is micro in comparison to WiFi, but it was my simple way of differentiating between wireless internet and wireless data transfer. Apologies.

 

I can't tell you how many times I've been someplace when their systems were down. Not their internet, but their entire systems. They couldn't run our card or even print out our bill in the restaurant (most recently at Marriott in Ko'Olina).

 

Maybe in a few years we will have electronics that NEVER have glitches or crash. That would me AMAZING.

 

I still wouldn't want to use them at my dinner table, though. I hope this never happens, because then I'll have a heck of a time explaining to my kids why we shouldn't be using our phones or tablets at the dinner table and then use a tablet to actually order our food. LOL

[SilvertoGold]

Sorry if people (Serendipity1499 especially) on this thread misunderstand my intention in posting.

 

The last sentence of Captain Schooderbeek's HALBlog post is a clear, declarative sentence.

 

It will happen "on the cruise ships eventually". The pax will be doing the ordering.

 

Since you seem to think that I was the only poster to misunderstood your intention of posting ;) & called me out on it.......

 

 

Betty

 

You don't read.

 

My post said "people". That is plural and the verb "misunderstand" is also plural. For heaven's sake, I do not think you are the only poster to misunderstand. You, in my opinion, jumped on me the hardest, with the most seriousness, that is all. Your right to do so.

 

Thanks for your time.

[pms4104]

delete

[pms4104]

Quote:

Originally Posted by pms4104

If the tablet is left with the diners throughout the meal, this would be a great way for people to request more water or other beverages, more rolls, etc. ... or to request a real person to remove and replace a not very satisfactory dish.*

(*this is what a very good, attentive waiter in a fine dining establishment is supposed to be doing....! You shouldn't have to do this yourself, should you?)

 

This tablet process seems to deprive diners of the personalized and elegant service that should be a hallmark of a MDR experience. While Seattle spinmeisters might make it sound as though the company would be adopting a greener process and moving into the current century ... is it simply a thinly disguised attempt to cut MDR staff even more?

 

 

I think you are very much on track with your second comment.

 

The bottom line is this: not everyone is on board with the new technology. I have no problem with computers and the like, but many folks do, and unfortunately, many are elderly and/or stubborn/refusing to learn. HAL needs to cater to these folks too. We can't have a cruise line for the "technically savvy" and leave the others at the pier. The waiters are burdened enough with their job without becoming "teachers of modern technology" for the passengers. If they want to give the waiters I-pads or the like to order the food in a modern fashion, fine. Just don't ask the passengers to do it. Many won't like it, and the added burden of teaching folks how to order their food will slow down the DR service considerably, not speed it up. And the other thing to consider is "Image". If you are trying to sell your Main Dining Room as a fine dining establishment, you don't want it to come across like ordering a hamburger at a fast food palace......IMHO.

 

To answer your question ... yes, in a fine dining venue, I would expect serving persons to replenish rolls and butter, top off our water, briing the correct dishes to each diner, etc. Also, to stop by and ask if everything is OK, can I get you anything else? Well, and when they clear a dish where only a bite or two has been eaten (because the food was not satisfactory), to ask if there is a problem and can they bring something else. Geez, I get that at local pizza and casual eateries ... not so much on HAL on our last couple of sailings. I recognize that the servers have more tables than they can accommodate with such niceties, but that shouldn't excuse poor and neglectful service.

 

Is it possible that the dining tablets will free up servers to perform those actual ancillary duties? Or, will they turn the dining room into the floating equivalent of a fast-food joint?

[boze9999]

I'm extremely "techie' and also in the client services industry - I do NOT want to order on an electronic device. When I go to a high end land based restuarant, I will pay more to have high end customr based service. If I want an electronic waiter, I will go to a fast food joint. Yes, things change, but not one on one personal service and attention to the customer. Just ask Nordstroms if they anticipate using tablets!

[hattack]

The next generation of cruisers have different expectations in terms of technology in their cruising experiences and the cruise lines know this, so they will continue to introduce technology to attract them and maintain the norm for their guests of this generation

 

It is a finely tune balancing act

[OlsSalt]

.......Just ask Nordstroms if they anticipate using tablets!

 

The better question might be to ask Nordstrom how they like competing with the growing numbers of online shoppers. Retail and services have gone through a revolutionary change in the past decades, so the normalcy of using ones phone or iPad today for the most routine daily services continues to evolve and is doing business as usual with today's young people.

 

Just watch them use their smart phones in lieu of boarding passes at the airport. Remember our stiff card stock air tickets we used to carry, and now we are just a electronic number and a tap on a screen when we board a plane?